Guides · Bay Area buying
Do the reading before the bidding.
Three short guides, written the way the rest of this site is written: arithmetic first, no mystique. Each one ends at the calculator.
Reading list · updated July 2026
Who pays the buyer's agent in 2026?
July 2026
The settlement made your agent's fee a number you sign. The three ways to pay it, with the math.
Answers: Do I have to pay my buyer's agent out of pocket now? · Can the seller still pay my agent's commission?
Pre-approval to keys in eight steps, with real Bay Area timelines.
Answers: How long does it take to buy a house in the Bay Area? · How long is escrow in California?
Every record on the house is public. A Saturday-morning checklist, source by source.
Answers: How do I check a house's permit history? · How do I find comps for a house myself?